AAPI immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers should have the ability to equitably sponsor their families to the United States; live without constant fear of detention and deportation; and be provided due process rights if they are ensnared within our country’s detention and deportation system. As such, OCA believes that the family immigration system must address the massive backlog of visa applications, of which 1.8 million are from Asian countries.

Any form of comprehensive immigration reform must also include provisions to provide a pathway to citizenship for the over 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, along with a repeal of the sections of the 1996 immigration laws that limit judicial discretion in detention and deportation cases. As co-chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)’s immigration committee, OCA remains dedicated to passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill that supports all Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.